Reproductive tract infection is one of the important factors of male reproduction. Polymorphonuclear neutrophil elastase (PMNE) in semen, as a marker of male reproductive tract inflammation, especially recessive infection, potentially affects male fertility. The concentration of PMNE in semen is correlated significantly not only with semen white blood cell count and seminal plasma ROS level, but also with the levels of other inflammation related cytokines, such as IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-alpha. Furthermore, PMNE has a negative impact on sperm quality by decreasing sperm motility, increasing the percentage of morphologically abnormal sperm and interfering with DNA integrity. PMNE inhibitors in semen can form a compound with PMNE, and the imbalanced proportions of the two may promote the development of chronic inflammation, and consequently lead to male infertility. At present, PMNE in semen is detected mainly by enzyme immunoassay, but this method still needs to be standardized, and the diagnostic standards to be unified.
Humans ; Leukocyte Elastase ; Male ; Semen ; enzymology

Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Leukocyte Elastase ; isolation & purification ; Neutropenia ; congenital ; enzymology

PURPOSE: Kawasaki disease is notorious for coronary arterial complication which is usually developed as a febrile disease in early childhood. Increased polymorphonucleus(PMN) cell levels in acute phases may be associated with the pathophysiology of Kawasaki disease. We studied the relationship between coronary arterial dilatation and elastase activity which was excreted from PMN cell and roles as an important factor for vasculitis. METHODS: Ten patients diagnosed with Kawasaki disease in Yonsei University Medical Center were examined between November, 2001 and January, 2002. In addition, 15 patients with other febrile diseases were also examined. Echocardiography was done in patients with Kawasaki disease on the first day of admission and four weeks after the onset of the disease. At each time, venous samples were drawn and separated into plasma and leukocytes. In patients with other febrile disease, samples were drawn on admission. Elastase activities in plasma and neutrophil extracts were measured. RESULTS: The significant increased plasma elastase activity, 6.19+/-0.74 U/mL, found in Kawasaki disease patients compared with the other febrile disease patients, 4.86+/-1.17 U/mL(P<0.05). And there was no significance between the above two diseases in terms of the elastase activity in neutrophil extracts. The relationship between initial elastase activity and the coronary arterial complication which was shown in subacute phase wasn't significant. CONCLUSION: Plasma elastase activity was increased in Kawasaki disease significantly, but the initial plasma elastase activity in the acute phase could not reflect the range of coronary arterial complication.
Academic Medical Centers ; Dilatation* ; Echocardiography ; Humans* ; Leukocyte Elastase* ; Leukocytes ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome* ; Neutrophils* ; Pancreatic Elastase ; Plasma ; Vasculitis

PURPOSE: Parenteral nutrition is given to infants who tempararily cannot take oral feeding adequately. A lipid emulsion is added to the parenteral to supply essential fatty acids. In neonatal sepsis, elastase from azuropilic granules of the neutrophils is released and rapidly bound to alpha1-Proteinase Inhibitor(alpha1-PI). The lipid emulsion has been noted to markedly inhibit chemotaxis of neutrophils, so we to measured the levels of Elastase-alpha1-Proteinase Inhibitor(E-alpha1-PI) complex to evaluate the effect of intralipid infusions on the neutrophil in newborns with sepsis. METHODS: This study evaluated 8 patients with neonatal sepsis and 12 normal newborns. We measured E-alpha1-PI complex levels in the serum of these patients by ELISA methods. RESULTS: Before infusion with lipid solution, patients with neonatal sepsis had significantly increased levels of E-alpha1-PI complex in comparison with those of vaginally delivered normal newborns. E-alpha1-PI complex levels were significantly decreased after lipid infusions of 0.5g/kg per day, but there was no further significant decrease with higher doses of the infusate. CONCLUSION: We observed the suppression neutrophil elastase levels by lipid infusions in newborn with sepsis. These results suggest that there were no appropriate chemotatic effects of neutrophil in newborn with sepsis. Therefore, we considered whether the lipid infusion was stopped if the newborn with sepsis was infused parenteral nutrition with intralipid.
Chemotaxis ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Fatty Acids, Essential ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn* ; Leukocyte Elastase ; Neutrophils ; Pancreatic Elastase* ; Parenteral Nutrition ; Sepsis

BACKGROUND: Statins can regulate the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and inhibit MMP production or activation in a variety of types of cells. This study evaluated whether statins would inhibit MMP release from human lung fibroblasts, which play a major role in remodeling processes. METHODS: This study, using an in-vitro model (three-dimensional collagen gel contraction system), evaluated the effect of cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-alpha, TNF-a and interleukin-1beta, IL-1b) on the MMP release and MMP activation from human lung fibroblasts. Collagen degradation induced by cytokines and neutrophil elastase (NE) was evaluated by quantifying hydroxyproline. RESULTS: In three-dimensional collagen gel cultures (3D cultures) where cytokines (TNF-a and IL-1b) can induce the production of MMPs by fibroblasts, it was found that simvastatin inhibited MMP release. In 3D cultures, cytokines together with NE induced collagen degradation and can lead to activation of the MMP, which was inhibited by simvastatin. CONCLUSION: Simvastatin may play a role in regulating human lung fibroblast functions in repair and remodeling processes by inhibiting MMP release and the conversion from the latent to the active form of MMP.
Airway Remodeling ; Collagen ; Contracts ; Cytokines ; Fibroblasts ; Humans ; Interleukin-1beta ; Leukocyte Elastase ; Lung ; Matrix Metalloproteinases ; Necrosis ; Simvastatin

Human leukocyte elastase is an important selection target of inflammation and cancer. In this paper, a high throughput screening model was established for screening human leukocyte elastase inhibitors from thousands of strains of actinomycetes. As a result, a strain, N01WA-735 with potent suppression activity was isolated. Firstly, the strain N01WA-735 was identified as Streptomyces according to morphology and biochemical analysis. The Streptomyces N01WA-735 was processed by solvent extraction, silica column chromatography, Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography and crystallization to get a pure active compound named N01WA-735E. Its chemical structure was elucidated as the same as that of the compound named BE-52440A by physicochemical properties and spectral data of UV, MS, 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR respectively. The compound showed a strong inhibitory activity against human leukocyte elastase with IC50 of 3.02 micromol/L. The compound is reported as a human leukocyte elastase inhibitor for the first time.
Humans ; Leukocyte Elastase ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Protease Inhibitors ; isolation & purification ; metabolism ; Streptomyces ; isolation & purification ; metabolism

BACKGROUND: Inflammation plays an important role in the postoperative morbidity of organs, which is related to the activation of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Ulinastatin (Urinary trypsin inhibitor, UTI) is a serine protease inhibitor found in human urine or serum that inhibits the activation of human leukocyte elastase. This study examined the effect of UTI on the inflammation response in patients undergoing a gastrectomy. METHODS: Thirty patients scheduled to undergo a gastrectomy were divided into two groups as follows: Control group (untreated, n = 15) and UTI group (100,000 units of UTI were continuously injected intravenously for 2 hours, n = 15). Arterial blood was sampled before surgery (T0), 10 minutes after its onset (T1), at its end (T2), and 1 hour after surgery (T3) to measure the level of cytokines. RESULTS: Both the control and treatment groups had higher interleukin (IL)-6 levels at T2 and T3 than T0, and the level increased with time. However, the increase was smaller in the treatment group. The IL-8 levels were not activated significantly in any of the groups. CONCLUSIONS: UTI inhibits the secretion of IL-6, which is an inflammatory cytokine produced after a gastrectomy. This shows that UTI can decrease the inflammation reaction caused by surgical stress.
Cytokines ; Gastrectomy ; Glycoproteins ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-6 ; Interleukin-8 ; Interleukins ; Leukocyte Elastase ; Serine Proteases ; Trypsin

Objective: To investigate the clinical value of observing perioperative changes of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and neutrophil elastase (NE) in coronary artery circulation in patients underwent valve replacement surgery. Methods: This perspective cohort study was performed in patients who underwent valvular surgery in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital and Fuwai Hospital from June 2021 to June 2022. Patients were divided into perioperative myocardial injury group and age-, sex- and type of cardiac procedure-matched non-perioperative myocardial injury control group in the ratio of 1∶1. Perioperative myocardial injury was defined as cardiac troponin T (cTnT)>0.8 μg/L on the first postoperative day (POD), and the cTnT level on the second POD increased by more than 10% compared with the cTnT level on the first POD. During the operation, blood samples were collected from the coronary sinus before clamping ascending aorta, and within 5 minutes after de-clamping ascending aorta. Then, the levels of MPO and NE on coronary sinus were continuously measured. The death, severe ventricular arrhythmia, pneumonia, re-intubation, repeat cardiac surgery, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP), continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), mechanical ventilation time and the duration of intensive care unit (ICU) were recorded. The levels of MPO and NE and the incidence of clinical outcomes were compared between the myocardial injury group and the control group. The independent risk factors of myocardial injury were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression. Results: A total of 130 patients were enrolled, aged (60.6±7.6) years old, with 59 males (45.4%). There were 65 patients in the myocardial injury group and 65 patients in the control group. During hospitalization, there was no death, ECMO, IABP and CRRT cases in both groups. Compared with the control group, the incidence of severe ventricular arrhythmia (13.8%(9/65) vs. 3.1%(2/65), P=0.03), pneumonia (20.0%(13/65) vs. 3.1%(2/65), P=0.03), re-intubation (6.2%(4/65) vs. 0, P=0.04) was significantly higher in myocardial injury group. The mechanical ventilation time (16.8(10.7, 101.7) h vs. 7.5(4.7, 15.1) h, P<0.01), and the duration of ICU (3.7(2.7, 18.9) vs. 2.7(1.8, 6.9)d, P<0.01) were significantly longer in myocardial injury group compared with the control group. There was no significant difference in the levels of MPO and NE in coronary sinus blood between the two groups before aortic clamping (all P>0.05). However, MPO ((551.3±124.2) μg/L vs. (447.2±135.9) μg/L, P<0.01) and NE ((417.0±83.1)μg/L vs. (341.0±68.3)μg/L, P<0.01) after 5 min aortic de-clamping were significantly higher in myocardial injury group than in the control group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the levels of NE (OR=1.02, 95%CI: 1.01-1.02, P<0.01), MPO (OR=1.00, 95%CI: 1.00-1.01, P=0.02) and mechanical ventilation time (OR=1.03, 95%CI: 1.01-1.06, P=0.02) were independent risk factors of myocardial injury in patients after surgical valvular replacement. Conclusion: Perioperative myocardial injury is related poor clinical outcomes, perioperative NE and MPO in coronary artery circulation are independent risk factors of perioperative myocardial injury in patients undergoing valve replacement surgery.
Aged ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Cohort Studies ; Coronary Circulation ; Leukocyte Elastase ; Peroxidase ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Female

Humans ; Mutation ; Congenital Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes/genetics* ; Neutropenia/genetics* ; Leukocyte Elastase/genetics*

OBJECTIVES: Alpha1-antitrypsin (AAT) is the main inhibitor of human neutrophil elastase, and plays a role in counteracting the tissue damage caused by elastase in local inflammatory conditions. The study evaluated the involvement of AAT in nasal allergic inflammation. METHODS: Forty subjects with mono-sensitization to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dpt) were enrolled. Twenty allergic rhinitis patients frequently complained of nasal symptoms such as rhinorrhea, stuffiness, sneezing, and showed positive responses to the nasal provocation test (NPT) with Dpt (Group I). The other 20 asymptomatic patients showed sensitization to Dpt but negative NPT (Group II). The levels of AAT, eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), and Dpt-specific IgA antibodies were measured in the nasal lavage fluids (NLFs), collected at baseline, 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 3 hours, and 6 hours after the NPT. Nasal mucosa AAT expression was evaluated with immunohistochemical staining from Group I and Group II. RESULTS: At baseline, only the Dpt-specific IgA level was significantly increased in the NLFs of Group I compared with Group II, while ECP and AAT levels were not significantly different between two groups. After Dpt provocation, AAT, ECP, and Dpt-specific IgA levels were significantly increased in the NLFs of Group I during the early and late responses. The protein expression level of AAT was mostly found in the infiltrating inflammatory cells of the nasal mucosa, which was significantly increased in Group I compared to Group II. CONCLUSION: The increment of AAT showed a close relationship with the activation of eosinophils induced by allergen-specific IgA in the NLFs of patients with allergic rhinitis after allergen stimulation. These findings implicate AAT in allergen-induced nasal inflammation.
Antibodies ; Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus ; Eosinophil Cationic Protein ; Eosinophils ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin A ; Inflammation ; Leukocyte Elastase ; Nasal Lavage Fluid ; Nasal Mucosa ; Nasal Provocation Tests ; Pancreatic Elastase ; Rhinitis ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial ; Sneezing